Report: Dwyane Wade could leave Heat this summer

This time last year, Dwyane Wade was enjoying a run to the NBA
Finals alongside LeBron James and the rest of the Heat. Now, James
is doing the same in Cleveland, and Wade is left in South Beach,
exploring his options.

Wade is reportedly “open to leaving” the Heat this offseason if
he and the team can’t come to terms on his pay for the next three
seasons, according to the Miami Herald.

Wade has a player option for the 2015-16 season worth $16.1
million, but could decide to test the free-agent waters this summer
instead of waiting until next offseason, when the NBA salary cap is
expected to jump from $67 million to $89 million.

Wade, 33, had a respectable season averaging 21.5 points per
game, but his history of injury is reason enough for pause from
Miami when it comes dedicating a chunk of its payroll to an aging
superstar.

"He's got to change the narrative himself about his body and
about his injuries and about his missing games," Heat president Pat
Riley said during a postseason news conference. "And we had a
discussion about this. But he always has to answer those questions,
and I know those questions are legitimate because they're real.

"So night in and night out, there's always the question of
whether or not he can or he can't. And so I'd like to have him try
to get past that first hurdle mentally, and do whatever he has to
do to get himself ready to practice and himself ready to play, each
and every night.”

Wade has played his entire 12-year career in Miami and said he
feels like he has a “a few good years left.” On Wednesday, Wade
posted a photo on Instagram showing he lost 12 pounds in 30 days.
As impressive as the photo and progress is, the Heat have a ton of
money tied up in Chris Bosh ($23.6 million per season) and hope to
re-sign Goran Dragic, who could command as much as $21.8 million
per season, according to the Miami Herald.

Wade is a Heat legend, and it's within reach for him to have a
few more All-Star-worthy seasons; however, committing $50 million
or so to a player who will be 36 at the end of a new deal is a
tough pill for any organisation to swallow.